Inspiring Journeys: African American Histories
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Central Library
Join us for Inspiring Journeys: African American Histories, a day of celebration for African American Heritage Month. The speakers, workshops, entertainment, and family activities will surely spark joy and insight.
This event is free and open to all, so bring your friends and family along for a day of celebration and learning.
Program Schedule
DIY & Fly
Time: 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Location: Teen'Scape
Audience: Teens
Join us for a fun take & make activity where teens can create their own colorful boondoggle keychains or beaded friendship bracelets. All materials are provided—just bring your creativity for a program that’s perfect for all ages!
CommUnity: Your Archive, Your Legacy
Time: 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Location: Meeting Room B
Audience: All ages
Discover the power of your own story in this interactive workshop! You’ll learn how to spot meaningful moments, record them with confidence, and preserve them for the future. Then, try it for yourself with a hands-on activity, using an oral-history backpack to start a project of your own. We’ll finish with a screening of a completed oral-history project so you can see what’s possible.
Romare Bearden "The Block" Collage Art Project With LA Commons
Time: 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Location: Octavia Lab
Audience: All ages
Join us for a hands-on collage workshop inspired by the groundbreaking work of artist Romare Bearden, led by teaching artist Willie Thomas from LA Commons. Participants will work individually to create a vibrant collage of a single building on construction paper, using scrap paper, magazine clippings, and silhouettes. Then they will combine everyone's completed buildings to construct a large-scale, interconnected “Block.” This collective effort visually represents a thriving and dynamic community.
Take & Make Craft: Ghanaian-Inspired Krobo Bead Jewelry
Time: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: Art Department
Audience: Adults
Celebrate the rich heritage of Ghanaian bead-making at our Inspiring Journeys African American Festival program! Join us for a hands-on Take & Make session where teens and adults will create a beautiful hand-knotted Krobo bead necklace using traditional recycled glass beads, paired with bohemian-style earrings.
History of Sommerville/Dunbar Hotel
Time: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: First Floor Landing
Audience: All ages
A poster exhibit of the history of The Sommerville/Dunbar Hotel.
City of Hope: Resurrection City and the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign
Time: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: Rotunda
Audience: All ages
Poster Exhibit - City of Hope: Resurrection City and the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s daring vision for economic justice and opportunity for every U.S. citizen. The poster exhibition examines the Poor People’s Campaign—a grassroots, multiracial movement that drew thousands of demonstrators demanding social reforms while living side-by-side on the National Mall in a tent city known as Resurrection City.
Central 100 - Community Oral History Project
Time: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: Carson Center
Audience: Adults, Teens
As part of LAPL’s Central 100 Celebration, we're collecting oral history testimonials from our community. We're inviting patrons and staff to share their stories and memories of Central Library over the years via short video recordings that will become part of the LAPL Archives. No prior registration is needed. Come to the Carson Center to sign up for a 10-minute recording slot on the day of the festival. Our staff will facilitate the recordings. We can’t wait to hear what Central Library means to you!
SPEAK! A Spoken Word-Poetry Experience Featuring Charles Reese (2024 Voice Arts Award Winner) & The Griot Band with a special tribute to James Baldwin
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Location: Taper Auditorium
Audience: Adults, Teens
A mesmerizing live experience combining spoken word, storytelling, and music from Reese's critically acclaimed albums Speak and James Baldwin & Me. This performance features a powerful James Baldwin Tribute Suite that blends poetry, jazz, and soul. Including Voice Arts Award winner, CHARLES REESE & The Griot Band.
Children's African Body Painting Workshop
Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Location: Children's Literature Department
Audience: Children
Families with children ages 3-12 are welcome to come learn about the history of African body art and design their own creations on paper. Workshop participants will choose from a selection of designs to be painted onto their faces or arms.
Making Black Los Angeles With Dr. Marne Campbell
Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Location: Meeting Room A
Audience: Adults, Teens
Join Dr. Marne L. Campbell as she shares her research on the early African American community in Los Angeles. Come learn about the families who forged a vibrant community and made a lasting impact on our diverse city.
Barry Archie Johnson Concert - Instrumental Acoustic Guitar
Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Location: Art Department
Audience: Adults, Teens
Barry Archie Johnson Concert - Instrumental Acoustic Guitar: Barry Archie Johnson is a Los-Angeles-based guitarist whose instrumental music is brimming with melodic openness and technical virtuosity, telling stories without words and subtly commanding the language of folk, classical, and blues styles.
Color Compton Screen Printing Activation
Time: 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Location: Children's Courtyard
Audience: All ages
This hands-on screen printing activation invites participants to engage with art-making through a guided, interactive process. Attendees will select a pre-designed image, view and learn the basics of screen printing, and receive a custom-printed poster or tote bag.
Tommy the Clown and Crew!
Time: 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Location: Taper Auditorium
Audience: All Ages
Don't miss this special, first-time event at the Los Angeles Public Library featuring LA legend Tommy the Clown and his crew! The creator of Clown Dancing and Krumping will be bringing the party and the Battle Zone.
